"Boom—"
A distress flare exploded over the Uchiha Clan Compound, its vivid red light illuminating the whole sky above Konoha.
Then a second, a third, a fourth...
One flare after another rose from all over the Uchiha Clan Compound and burst across the night sky. The red flashes lit up the entire village of Konoha.
Flares also rose from the Uchiha Military Police Force's headquarters.
They were the call for help from the force known as Konoha's line of defense.
Konoha had been thoroughly roused.
At the Hyuga Clan Compound, Hyuga Hiashi stood on his roof in his pajamas, staring at the flares rising in the distance over the Uchiha district, his face ashen.
"Father, is that..." his eldest daughter, Hyuga Hinata, asked softly beside him.
"Go back to bed." Hiashi cut her off, then turned and leaped from the roof.
He returned inside and shut the door, his hands still trembling.
Hiashi's wife, the Main Family elders, the Branch Family elders, and several core clan members all hurried over.
"Clan Head, the Uchiha..."
"I know." Hiashi sat in the seat of honor, his voice heavy. "There's nothing we can do. It's Lord Hokage's order."
"But that Sarutobi... That's the Uchiha Clan! The Senju Clan disappeared, and now it's the Uchiha's turn. Then..."
"Shut up!" Hiashi rebuked him sharply. "Do you want the Hyuga Clan to be wiped out too?"
Silence filled the room. Everyone lowered their heads, and no one dared speak again.
The Ino-Shika-Cho clans—the Yamanaka, Akimichi, and Nara.
"Inoichi." His wife came out of the house. "That's the Uchiha..."
Yamanaka Inoichi stood in the yard, staring at the distant flares, his expression grim. "I know."
"Should we..."
"We're not going." Inoichi shook his head. "Lord Hokage hasn't given the order. We can't make a move."
He went back inside and sat on the sofa, covering his face with both hands. Even this man, who had kept his composure throughout the Shinobi World War, was trembling now.
Akimichi Choza hadn't had much to do lately and had been eating chips in the evening. Hearing the flares, he set the bag down and went to the door.
When he saw the red glow in the direction of the Uchiha, his hand shook, and the bag of chips fell to the ground.
"Choza." His wife came over and took his hand.
"I'm fine." Choza managed a weak smile. "It's fine."
But his eyes gave him away. They held anger, helplessness, and deep fear.
Nara Shikaku had been standing on the roof since he got home from work, a jug of sake in hand, watching the Uchiha district.
"Shikaku, stop drinking," his wife called from below.
"Let me be alone for a while."
Shikaku tipped his head back and took a swig. His expression was complicated. As Konoha's strategist, he knew more than the others. He knew what would happen tonight. He knew what decision Danzo and the Third had made. And he knew even better that there was nothing he could do to change it.
"Shikaku," his wife called again.
"Got it. I'm coming down."
Shikaku jumped off the roof, but before going inside, he looked back toward the Uchiha district.
Another flare rose into the sky and burst like a blood-red flower.
"I'm sorry," he whispered, not knowing whom he was apologizing to.
In the residential district, many ordinary villagers had also come out of their homes to watch the distant flames.
"What's that?"
"Looks like the Uchiha district."
"What happened?"
"No idea. Could they be under attack?"
"What should we do? Should we go help?"
"Are you stupid? It's so far away. You'd just be going to your death."
"But Lord Hokage will send people, right?"
"Of course. The Third is the strongest Hokage. Don't worry."
The villagers chattered among themselves. Most were just watching the spectacle, though a few looked worried.
An old woman who sold vegetables gazed toward the Uchiha district and sighed.
"What a sin," she murmured, then turned back into her home and shut the door.
A retired Chunin lived next door. He had fought in the Third Shinobi World War and fought alongside the Uchiha. Standing in his doorway, he watched the flares, his fists clenched so tightly they cracked.
"Damn it..."
But he didn't move. He didn't dare.
At the Inuzuka Clan Compound, Inuzuka Tsume was walking her dogs in the yard when she heard the flares. She immediately leaped onto the wall and looked toward the Uchiha district.
"Mom, what's happening?" Her daughter, Inuzuka Hana, ran outside.
"Go back!" Tsume jumped down from the wall. "Shut the door and lock it. Don't open it for anyone tonight."
"But the Uchiha..."
"I said, go back!"
Tsume pushed her daughter inside, shut the door, and bolted it.
She crouched down and hugged her Ninja Dog, trembling all over. She knew what was happening there, and she also knew she couldn't save anyone.
Aburame Shikuroo's insects told him the Uchiha Clan Compound was being massacred. He stood in the basement, already aware of everything through the insects' senses.
The insects had seen the chakra of the person carrying out the attack—it was Uchiha Itachi. They had also sensed the chakra of others, people Aburame Shikuroo hated most, even though some of them were from his own clan.
"Clan Head, what should we do?" one clan member asked.
"Nothing." Shikuroo said. "This isn't something we can get involved in."
"But..."
"No buts." Shikuroo cut him off. "Bring all the insects back. Nobody goes out tonight."
He turned and walked into his room, closed the door, took off his glasses, and rubbed his temples. He muttered, "Third, Third... You'll regret this..."
Meanwhile, at the Hokage Building.
Sarutobi Hiruzen stood before the floor-to-ceiling window with a pipe in his mouth, watching the flares rise over the Uchiha district. His face was frighteningly grim.
"Damn Danzo!" He slammed a hand against the window frame. "He can't even keep one Uchiha in check! The flares are already in the sky. The whole village has seen them!"
Behind him, Anbu members knelt in a row. No one dared make a sound.
"What are you waiting for?" Hiruzen turned and roared. "Issue the order! Konoha's Anbu and Root are to head for the Uchiha Clan Compound immediately and provide support! No one else is to make a move, lest spies from other villages take advantage of the situation!"
"Yes, sir!"
The Anbu hurried away.
Hiruzen turned back to the window and continued watching outside. The ember in his pipe glowed fitfully. His face showed no anger, only weariness and helplessness—or rather, a weariness and helplessness he was pretending to feel.
"Hiruzen, what's the situation?" Utatane Koharu and Mitokado Homura pushed open the door and came in.
"The flares are up. The whole village has seen them," Hiruzen said coldly.
"What's going on with Danzo? Didn't he say he could handle it tonight?"
"Ask him." Hiruzen snorted. "I said from the start we couldn't rely entirely on his Root."
"There's no point talking about that now." Homura frowned. "The important thing is the aftermath. How are we going to explain tonight's events to the villagers?"
"The Uchiha Clan was incited by spies to stage a violent coup. Root discovered it, the coup failed, and the clan committed mass suicide," Hiruzen said. "That's good enough."
"Do you think anyone will believe that?" Koharu asked.
"Whether they believe it doesn't matter." Hiruzen turned to look at them. "What matters is that they don't dare ask."
Silence fell over the room for a few seconds.
"One more thing," Homura said. "The Uchiha's flares have gone up. The other clans will definitely be paying attention. We need to make them stay put."
"I've already given the order," Hiruzen said. "Anbu and Root are going to provide support. No one else is to make a move."
"What about Danzo?"
"I've ordered Root to join the extermination team and finish this as quickly as possible." Hiruzen took a deep puff. "Tonight's business can't drag on until dawn."
As they spoke, an Anbu member came in. "Lord Hokage, Lord Danzo sent word. There's been a hitch with the Uchiha. Some are resisting, and he's requesting reinforcements."
"It's still not settled?" Hiruzen's expression darkened further.
"Lord Danzo said... It seems the Uchiha sensed something ahead of time and prepared a few contingencies. Root has suffered a few casualties."
"Useless!" Hiruzen hurled his pipe to the floor. "Tell Danzo to finish this as soon as possible! I want results before dawn!"
"Yes, sir!"
After the Anbu left, silence once again filled the room.
Koharu had been on good terms with Kagami Uchiha in private when she was young. She looked at Hiruzen, hesitating to speak.
"If you have something to say, say it," Hiruzen said without turning around.
"Hiruzen, is what we're doing... really right?"
Hiruzen turned around, his eyes cold. "Do you think we still have a way back?"
Koharu said nothing.
"The Uchiha must be wiped out." Hiruzen turned back to the window. "It's for Konoha's stability."
"But..."
"No buts." Hiruzen cut her off. "Go. I need some time alone."
Koharu and Homura exchanged a glance, then turned and left.
Only Hiruzen remained in the room.
He stood before the window, watching the glow of the fire in the Uchiha district, his expression complicated.
He murmured, "Master, Kagami... Are you watching from up there? You surely won't blame me... Everything I've done has been for Konoha..."
He didn't get an answer.
Because another Anbu voice sounded outside.
"Lord Hokage! Something big has happened at the Uchiha district!"
Hiruzen spun around. "What happened?"
"Someone named Uchiha Setsuna is speaking over the Uchiha Clan Compound with a voice-amplifying jutsu. The whole village heard him!"
Hiruzen's expression changed dramatically. "What did he say?!"
At the same time, the whole village of Konoha heard an old, furious voice coming from above the Uchiha Clan Compound, ringing throughout the village.
"On behalf of the last members of the Uchiha Clan, I strip Uchiha Fugaku and Uchiha Itachi of their Uchiha identities and expel them from the Uchiha Clan!"
The voice carried an unquestionable authority. Every word drove itself into the hearts of everyone who heard it, like a nail.
"The Uchiha Clan would rather die on the battlefield than have even one of our own join outsiders to wipe out our clan!"
All of Konoha fell silent.
Everyone who heard the voice was stunned.
What had they just heard?
Uchiha Fugaku and Uchiha Itachi had joined outsiders to destroy their own clan?
The teacup in Hiashi's hand fell to the floor and shattered.
His face was deathly pale, and his whole body trembled.
"He... What did he say?"
Inoichi got to his feet from the sofa, his eyes wide.
"Uchiha Fugaku? Uchiha Itachi? The prodigy from Anbu? How could he be the one carrying this out?!"
Choza's bag of chips fell to the ground, but he didn't pick it up.
"Wipe out his own entire clan? The clan head and his son?"
The sake jug in Shikaku's hand fell to the ground, spilling sake everywhere.
But he didn't notice. He just stood there, frozen.
"So that's it... So that's what happened..."
The villagers in the residential district were even more shocked.
"What? The Uchiha killed their own people?"
"That can't be right. Isn't Uchiha Itachi in Anbu? How could he..."
"Joined outsiders? Outsiders from where?"
"What does he mean, joined outsiders to wipe out the clan?"
Inside the Hokage Building, Hiruzen's face had gone black as a pot.
"Damn Uchiha Setsuna! How is he still alive?!"
Koharu and Homura rushed in again, their faces just as grim.
"Hiruzen, what's going on? Wasn't Uchiha Setsuna already in poor health? Didn't the intelligence Uchiha Itachi sent back last time say he'd been bedridden?"
"How should I know!" Hiruzen roared. "That useless Danzo couldn't even keep an old man under control!"
But the worst was yet to come.
Uchiha Setsuna's voice rang out again. "Sarutobi Hiruzen, Shimura Danzo! You truly are worthy disciples of that petty Senju, Senju Tobirama! You schemed to bring about your own master's death, forged his final orders, and took the position of Hokage! Then, to keep it secret, you plotted against the entire Senju Clan and wiped them out!"
Konoha erupted into chaos.
The Senju Clan had been wiped out?
The final orders had been forged?
They had plotted their own master's death?
Senju Tobirama was the Second Hokage. The history books of Konoha clearly stated that he had died at the hands of Kinkaku and Ginkaku of Kumogakure.
Now Uchiha Setsuna was saying he'd been plotted against?
Hiashi's hands had started trembling. He didn't dare keep listening, but there was no way to cover his ears.
Shikaku took a deep breath and closed his eyes.
"It's over... Tonight's events can't be kept secret anymore... Konoha is going to..."
Yamanaka Inoichi had used the Body Flicker Technique to reach the neighboring Nara Clan compound and the Nara home as soon as Uchiha Setsuna spoke. He turned to look at Nara Shikaku, his expression complicated.
"Shikaku, is what he said true?"
Nara Shikaku said nothing, but his silence was the best answer.
Uchiha Setsuna's voice continued. "Sarutobi Hiruzen, Shimura Danzo! You two came to power through illegitimate means. For the sake of the power in your hands, you colluded with Uchiha traitors, caused the Nine-Tails Incident, and assassinated the Fourth Hokage! Afterward, you even took out your spite on the Fourth Hokage's orphan, Uzumaki Naruto, and abused him!"
"Now, to keep your secrets, you're plotting to wipe out my Uchiha Clan, the clan that helped the Senju Clan found Konoha! You've truly surpassed your predecessors!"
This time, even the most ordinary villagers couldn't stomach it.
"H-he said the Fourth Hokage was assassinated?"
"The Hokage and the others caused the Nine-Tails Incident?"
"Uzumaki Naruto? That fox demon? He's the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki? How could he possibly be the Fourth Hokage's orphan? I was cursing him just this afternoon!"
"The Fourth Hokage's son was abused? How come I never knew he was the Fourth Hokage's orphan? I've seen so many civilians insulting him! This... this is too much!"
Inuzuka Tsume rushed out of her house and stood in the yard, her face livid as she stared toward the Hokage Building.
In the basement of Aburame Shikuroo's home, the insects stirred even more noisily.
But his expression was worse than theirs.
"This time... Konoha might really be finished..."
In the Hyuga Clan compound, Hyuga Hiashi's wife looked at her husband and asked cautiously, "Dear, what Uchiha Setsuna said..."
"Shut up!" Hyuga Hiashi snapped. "We didn't hear anything!"
But he was trembling too.
Because he knew Uchiha Setsuna's words might all be true.
Uchiha Setsuna's voice continued. "My Uchiha Clan gave everything for Konoha! Now, wicked men have set us up, and we're about to be wiped out, while the people of Konoha stand by and watch! My Uchiha Clan has done nothing wrong to Konoha. Konoha is the one that wronged us!"
The shinobi who had once fought alongside the Uchiha on the battlefield all lowered their heads, because they knew Uchiha Setsuna was telling the truth.
The Uchiha had indeed sacrificed a great deal for Konoha: the First Shinobi World War, the Second, the Third... In every war, the Uchiha had charged at the front.
But now, they were being wiped out! And no one in all of Konoha had come to save them.
"Uchiha Clan, heed my order!" Uchiha Setsuna's voice was edged with a final, desperate madness. "Since Konoha has shown us no mercy, don't blame my Uchiha Clan for showing none in return! Every surviving Uchiha, use anything you can to sever all ties with Sarutobi Hiruzen's Konoha! Especially our Sharingan. Find a way to destroy the Sharingan of every clan member around you! Don't leave a single thing from my Uchiha Clan for these villains!"
At those words, Sarutobi Hiruzen finally lost his composure.
"Damn it! He's trying to destroy all the Uchiha's resources!" He turned and roared at the Anbu. "Hurry! Stop him! Don't let him destroy the Uchiha's things! Those all belong to Konoha! The evil Uchiha Clan has no right to do this!"
The Anbu rushed frantically toward the Uchiha Clan compound.
But it was already too late.
Uchiha Setsuna's final words rang throughout all of Konoha. "My Uchiha Clan will wait for you Hyuga, Ino-Shika-Cho, and the other clans on the road to the Pure Land, alongside the Senju and Uzumaki Clans! Hahaha! Without my Uchiha Clan, Sarutobi will soon turn his sights on wiping you out, too! I'm going first!"
His laughter cut off abruptly.
In its place came the thunderous blast of hundreds of Explosive Tags detonating at once.
"Boom—boom—boom—"
Boom...
One deafening explosion after another erupted from the Uchiha Clan compound, shaking all of Konoha. The flames lit up half the sky, brighter and more blinding than the signal flares before.
Sarutobi Hiruzen stood by the window, watching the flames leap skyward, his face deathly pale.
Utatane Koharu slumped in her chair and muttered to herself, "It's over... It's all over..."
Mitokado Homura braced both hands on the table, head bowed, his whole body trembling.
They all knew what it meant for Uchiha Setsuna's words to get out: it meant Konoha would be utterly divided from within; it meant the Hokage's authority would vanish; it meant the other villages would seize the opportunity to attack; and, worst of all, it meant that all their careful plotting had been for nothing.
But it wasn't over yet.
After Uchiha Setsuna, another Uchiha's voice rang out, full of the same despair and madness. "My Uchiha Clan will wait for you people of Konoha on the road to the Pure Land, alongside the Senju and Uzumaki Clans! I'm going first!"
"Boom—"
Another explosion.
"I'm going, too! You dogs of Sarutobi Hiruzen! May you die horrible deaths!"
"Boom—boom—"
"Long live the Uchiha! We'll wait for Konoha to join us in the grave!"
"Boom—"
"Third Hokage! Danzo! I'll be waiting for you in the Pure Land!"
"Boom—boom—boom—"
One after another, blasts rang out from all over the Uchiha Clan compound. Each time a voice fell silent, several explosions followed: surviving Uchiha were blowing themselves up.
They hadn't chosen to surrender or flee. Instead, with their lives, they dealt Konoha one last, brutal slap in the face.
A child of seven or eight, covered in blood, stood atop the rubble and shouted, "My mom and dad are dead! My uncles and aunts are all dead! I hate Konoha! I hate Sarutobi Hiruzen! I hate every one of you!"
Then he set off the Explosive Tag on his body.
"Boom—"
A young woman, her clothes stained red with blood, sat on the ground holding her dead child and screamed in anguish, "My baby was only three months old! You didn't even spare an infant! Are you even human?!"
Then she blew herself up.
"Boom—"
An old man, both legs severed, lay facedown on the ground and shouted with his last ounce of strength, "Konoha! Third Hokage! Danzo! You'll get what's coming to you!"
"Boom—boom—boom—"
All of Konoha fell silent.
Everyone listened to those voices, those desperate cries, and the explosions that followed one after another.
In the Hyuga Clan compound, Hyuga Hiashi knelt on the ground, bracing himself with both hands as his entire body trembled.
Behind him, several Branch Family members were trembling too, because they knew Uchiha Setsuna was right. Without the Uchiha, the Hyuga could be next. No—the Hyuga would definitely be next!
In the Yamanaka Clan compound, Yamanaka Inoichi held his daughter, Ino, close against his chest and said nothing.
But his eyes were full of fear and fury.
Akimichi Choza sat on the sofa, potato chips scattered all over the floor, but he had no appetite.
He could only wonder: if the day came when it was the Akimichi Clan's turn, would anyone come to save them?
The answer was no.
The villagers in the civilian district had stopped talking, too.
Everyone was quiet.
Those who had once trusted the Hokage and the Konoha High Command now wore blank expressions.
They no longer knew whom to believe.
An old woman who sold vegetables shut her door, bolted it, and even dragged a table in front of it, as if that could keep the fear outside.
A retired Chunin crouched in a corner, clutching his head and weeping silently. He thought of his comrades who had died on the battlefield, and of the Uchiha who had once fought beside him.
Now they had all been betrayed.
Inside the Hokage Building, Sarutobi Hiruzen stood by the window, watching the distant flames, his face livid.
"Danzo! Where did you get the Senju's Wood Release and those dozens of pairs of Uchiha Sharingan?!" Amid the explosions, yet another bombshell of information spread throughout Konoha...
Before you continue